Inside the mind of the Geordie Monkey

Unlimited Broadband

The Trained Monkey — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:53:03 +0100

Too many companies are now abusing this word, typically these are companies offering internet services. An example would be of Company A offering mobile/home broadband with unlimited usage. Then in the terms & conditions there will be a clause that restricts the customer to download only 1Gb of data per month.

This is NOT unlimited.

Unlimited is defined as being: not limited, infinite or unrestricted.

If no current law prevents this, then one should be made to cover this grey area.

---------------------------

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Ban the use of the word 'Unlimited' if the subject in question is limited.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/notlimited/

Dolby Digital Plus added to ContentAgent

The Trained Monkey — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:25:21 +0100

It always nice to see your name in print....but can i remember saying all that :-)

Root6 version of the release is here along with cheesy handshake picture.

Dolby Digital Plus added to ContentAgent

Published: 07 October 2008 11:57
Author: Will Strauss
More by this Author
Last Updated: 07 October 2008 11:57

Root6 Technology has added Dolby Digital Plus to the post-production deliverables on its ContentAgent repurposing platform.

Dolby Digital Plus is a next-generation audio technology for high-definition programming and media.

ContentAgent support will allow extremely low bit rate multichannel sound to be delivered via the web.

The content repurposing platform currently transcodes a host of other commonly used audio formats including MP3, AC3, AAC, WAV, BWAV and AIFF.

ContentAgent product manager Kevin King said: "We are already fulfilling client demand for multi channel audio as part of an automated workflow and it's clear that further advances such as Dolby Digital Plus will play an increasingly important role in the HD content experience."

"Dolby Digital Plus combines the efficiency to meet future broadcast demands with the power and flexibility to realize the full audio potential of the upcoming high-definition experience.

"Built on Dolby Digital, the multichannel audio standard for DVD and HD broadcasts worldwide, Dolby Digital Plus was designed for the delivery formats of the future, but remains fully compatible with all current A/V receivers. With Dolby Digital Plus, you get even higher quality audio, more channels, and greater flexibility."

ContentAgent is used by production companies and broadcasters – including ITV and Pinewood Studios - to re-purpose and convert video and audio content for programmes, archives and online.

Author: Will Strauss.

The Trained Monkey — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:14:03 +0100

Autoclav1.1 2009 edition
Originally uploaded by akira_kev.

Autoclav1.1 2009 edition

Content Agent gets Red upgrade

The Trained Monkey — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:04:45 +0100

Well this was the humble pie I was talking about here.
Being the Product Manager for ContentAgent this is a really exciting time to making encoding tools for Television and Film industry
----

Root6 Technology will use IBC to unveil an updated version of its Content Agent system that works with files from the Red One camera.

The re-purposing and content management technology will now have the ability to transcode raw Red R3D files and low-res proxies.

This will allow the automatic creation of digital dailies as well as offline editing, HD finishing and 4k mastering.

The new dailies workflow development can be fully automated, outputting to ftp, email, web, RSS or interactive DVD. It is due to be shown for the first time at IBC.

Associated metadata can be burnt-in or included as part of an XML file. In the case of DVDs, workflows can be constructed to produce individually branded copies for a director, DoP or cameraman.

Root6 Technology managing director Marcus Hume-Humphreys said: "Making the Red codec available on Content Agent ensures that the dailies community will have the flexibility to create and automate its workflow, producing appropriate and cost effective deliverables."

Root6 Technology is a division of reseller and systems integrator Root6.

also seen at
http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=507971

Time and Tide wait for no man

The Trained Monkey — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:47:21 +0100

No I know how King Canute felt as the sea rose up, for years I complained and laughed saying it was vaporware, a public relations fantasy, a monumental advertiser lead dream. I mocked and laughed at people even suggesting it would work that the vision would see the light of day but alas it came.

‘No one is so powerful that he can stop the march of time’

There comes a point in your life and you see something that makes you want to raise up, march for the cause, demonstrate against a goverment or join a rebellion you take up the arms and march and nothing is going to stop you. Once you have seen the light and crossed the line there is no going back as it was once said "When the sword of rebellion is drawn, the sheath should be thrown away. "

I've only eaten humble pie a few times in my life but the announce I'm going to have to make on this blog next week will mean I'm stuff full for a long time. Look out for the ContentAgent press releases they are going to be very filling.

"Madam, if a thing is possible, consider it done; the impossible? That will be done." Charles Alexandre de Calonne 1734 - 1802

The Trained Monkey — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:28:03 +0100

Iphone doesn't bounce
Originally uploaded by akira_kev.

Iphone doesn't bounce

I swear the Underground is getting worse

The Trained Monkey — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:58:59 +0100

This was the scene that greeted me at Mile End this morning well I say greeted I did have to let 4 trains go past before I took this shot. In all I had to let 6 trains go past before I could get on one. Ok normally if there are problems on the line etc ok. But there were no problems reported on the London Underground Website or by Transport for London. It seem more and more often I'm having to wait longer and longer for a train. I haven't changed my time i get in the morning it just seems that more and more people are getting the tube.

I like to be in on time and after a 45minute commute its always a push to do it these days. You can leave earlier and still have a 15 or a 20 minute wait to be able to get on a train.
Oh well what to do.

Walk in the Park

The Trained Monkey — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:30:31 +0100

Well here I am sitting under a tree in the park just about to start reading war and peace on my iPhone. I thought I make my first ebook a challenge. Stanza is a great app and very useable.

Having just walked via speaker corner and taken a few picture. I never thought I'd get accuse of being one of her majesty finest by some random preacher. Oh well something to aspire to.

By the way Love No Longer Lives Here by Autoclav1.1.hasn't not been off the Zune all week. Awesome album All ForYou is an amazing track. You really need to check it out.

Iphone the work phone

The Trained Monkey — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:05:43 +0100

Yes well i did it and as soon as I got back from the USA i went out and got myself my Iphone upgrade. I got to say they have done a lovely job of the UI and the App Store is great even if a bit battery draining at times. All together I'm impressed and i love the idea that I can now use my work exchange and my home exchange server and my odd gmail address on the same phone....What that, you say I cannot, but why Apple why? You can only have one exchange account on the Iphone on dear this will not do you mean i have to live with the same silly restrictions that ActiveSync has on the Windows Mobile platform, oh mother to betsy. Well I suppose we can use IMAP and get around that but workaround...tut tut...

Then today I notice something on the tube on the way in normally on my way into work I answer some emails delete some spam etc and generally get on with work. On my windows mobile phone you can work, delete move things around and when you next log in to the server it updates all the cached local changes with the exchange server.

Well working this morning I tried to move some spam to trash while on the underground, and up pops a error message

which I thought was strange why couldn't it move the message then I twigged that it must need network coverage to move the message. I tried when I was above ground and yes it worked...How strange and stupid that it can't cache what you want and update when you next sync.

You can see i simulated being underground in the picture above by turning the phone into airplane mode. I can't believe that the Iphone can't work the same as the WMobile and be able to delete and move message on the fly wioth no coverage and cache the results locally till you nexrt connect.

Well i thought i'd bring this up with Apple, so I rang and spoke to someone who told me

"that on the iphone it is different and even with exchange this has to be in coverage."

Different I said....very different...

So this got me curious about what i can do underground and what will and won't work as i want to use the iphone for work rather than the WMobile and travelling underground in London is daily occurance.

So what happens if we try and move a message from folder to folder with no coverage....indeed it greys out the move to folder icon if you have no coverage to move the file. COOL the lady on the phone said we needed coverage so they have greyed it out so i know i can't do it. OK Therefore under that rule and keeping withing the rules it should grey out/disable the Delete function so we don't get a error message by doing something stupid that we know will fail.

Sound like common sense to me but then would caching the changes and then syncing them up when you next push, like the Windoze Mobiles do.

Well it looks like you can't work with a Iphone with exchange anywhere there isn't complete wifi or 3G coverage. So if your thinking using it to travel to work in London, lets hope you take the overground. But Kev, Kev......It works in San Fransisco, sorry mate.....I'll pass on the Kool Aid this time.

0.02p worth

The Trained Monkey — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:18:49 +0100

leeds pride-4
Originally uploaded by akira_kev.

Saying it loud and proud at Leeds Pride 08....Tony has posted about the weekend on his Livejournal